Taunton School Superintendent Julie Hackett was home with her family on a quiet Sunday afternoon in January when a Taunton police officer called her, telling her that the mother of a city student just died from a heroin overdose.

“It was heartbreaking for everybody involved in it, especially for that child,” said Hackett, who shared the story at the community forum on the drug abuse epidemic that took place in Taunton last month. “It was heartbreaking for the police officer. … We are dealing with picking up the pieces when things like this happen in the community.”

Hackett said, the school district has a “comprehensive system for addressing social and emotional needs,” but Taunton needs to do better job addressing the drug problem in the community through education. Hackett also spoke about the need for mental health support for youth who suffer from post-traumatic stress related to family members suffering from drug addiction.

“A supportive school community goes a long way in eliminating the isolation and depression faced by many young people today, which is why they try drugs in the first place,” Hackett said. “But we still need to do more, and education is key.”

Hackett said last week that as a result of the community forum on the heroin epidemic organized by Taunton Mayor Thomas Hoye Jr., Taunton schools are now in the process of reviewing its kindergarten through 12th-grade health and wellness curriculum and support system.

“If there are things that we can do better, and I’m sure there are, we will work to address them,” Hackett said. “The best way to attack the heroin issue in Taunton is head-on and with honesty. I am proud of the fact that all of our city leaders have publicly acknowledged the problem, and we are committed to working together with the community on solutions to combat heroin abuse.”

As of Sunday evening, there have been seven fatal overdoses in Taunton during 2014, in addition to approximately 74 suspected overdoses in the city since the beginning of the year.

Hoye and other area officials, including Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter, have said that one of the most important ways to combat the epidemic is to educate children about the dangers of drugs. Hackett agreed with that.

“Many of the heroin abusers in our community once had hope and a vibrant future ahead of them,” she said. “We need to teach our children the dangers of addiction early on so they can avoid making the same mistake.”

In terms of what the school already has in place to address drug-related issues, Taunton schools use the Open Circle program for early grades with a focus on decision-making and responsible behaviors. Health classes in the high school levels also have a focus on drug prevention.

Page 2 of 2 - Using a $1.2 million grant the district received, the school system has added guidance counselors at the middle grades and a Second Step program curriculum that includes units of study to address the dangers of addiction and similar issues.

“We also have an active Advisory Program to ensure that all students are connected to a caring adult, and the Access Center does an outstanding job of assisting with drug-related issues,” Hackett said.

Hackett said that after last month’s forum she received several offers of support from members of the school community who want to do their part to tackle the drug problem.

“We owe it to the children of Taunton who deserve much better than this,” she said.